Through the columns of your esteemed daily I would like to bring into the notice of the authorities concerned the difficulty we find in the disposal of sanitary napkins, more so when articles on sewage blocks talk about napkin disposal being a factor. Almost all girls and ladies use sanitary napkins during periods and most of these have either a cotton or gel filled in a plastic coatings. The instruction on the packet says that used pads are to be wrapped in paper and placed in a waste bin. What is to be done next? We are not supposed to flush them as the toilet may get clogged. The option left is to burn them. In order to do this, pads must be dry which means that they have to be kept out for a few days. One can imagine the terrible state this will result in — the odour and even infections. In order to avoid this, manual cleaning is an option, which would be repulsive to most users.
There need to be ample awareness programmes on the safe disposal of sanitary napkins, especially when women are instructed to change pads at least thrice a day. This means that there will be a minimum of 42 used pads a month in a family with two females. If all families choose to incinerate the material, it will cause more pollution. There has to be a solution.
Vishnu Priya P.,
Kozhikode
